Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 12, 1857
No Law--No Transgression.
By J. M. McLellan
Those who keep the seventh day as the Sabbath of the Lord, are sometimes branded by those who keep the Sunday, the first day of the week, as sinners, because they labor upon the so-called Christian Sabbath, or Sunday. Is it a sin to work upon the Sunday? I think not. God has given us a law of ten precepts, and whosoever breaks any one of those precepts of which this law is composed, is a sinner, and is guilty before God. Says John, "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John iii, 4. One of the precepts in the law of God says, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy." By this we learn that one of the days of each successive week is to be kept holy as the Sabbath of the Lord, and if any one should work upon that day which God has honored and commanded to be kept holy, he would be a "transgressor of the law," and consequently a sinner.
Now which day of the week is it that God has commanded to be kept holy, which is to be observed as the Sabbath? Is it the first or seventh day of the week? Says the word of God, "Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man-servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates." The reason given why the seventh day is to be kept as the Sabbath is, "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea all that in them is, and rested the seventh day, wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath-day and hallowed it." Ex. xx, 9-11.
By this we learn that the seventh day, and not the first, is the Sabbath enforced by the decalogue; and in vain have we searched through the pages of inspiration for a command to keep Sunday; and we feel safe in saying that it cannot be found only in the traditionary legends of the Catholic church, "the mother of harlots," and her prostitute daughters. And Paul says in Rom. iv, 15, "For where no law is there is no transgression." And "sin is not imputed where there is no law." Hence if there cannot be found a law in the Bible that says that Sunday is the Sabbath, and that labor should not be done on that day, how is a man that works on Sunday a sinner for so-doing.
I know that nearly all christendom is keeping Sunday in place of the Sabbath, and some urge this in favor of Sunday-keeping. They say that they keep Sunday because the multitude do. Says the prophet, "Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil." Deut. xxiii, 2. "My son, if sinners entice thee consent thou not. My son, walk not thou in the way with them, refrain thy foot from their path." Prov. i, 10, 15.
Again, "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death." Prov. xiv, 12. Sunday-keeping seems right to the multitude, (or at least they say so,) but "the end thereof are the ways of death;" for in keeping Sunday they break the Sabbath, and that is sin, and Paul says that "the wages of sin is death."
There is not a single promise in the Bible for those who keep Sunday; but many precious promises there are for those who keep the Sabbath. They will have "right to the tree of life and enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. xxii, 14. Let those who charge Sabbath-keepers as being sinners because they work upon Sunday, beware lest the guilt be found upon their own selves in keeping it to the neglect of the true Sabbath.
J. M. MCLELLAN.
Hastings, Feb. 25th, 1857.
How do You Read the Prophets?
It is well known that some Christians highly enjoy and draw rich instruction from the reading of the prophets, while to others this part of the Bible seems dry and uninteresting. Why is this?
We speak not now of writers on prophecy who claim to be skilled in foretelling the times and the seasons when predicted events shall transpire; nor of those who seek by a system of "spiritualizing" to discover hidden meanings which the words of inspiration do not convey; nor of those who have any favorite theory or peculiar scheme to support; but of Christians generally who come to the Bible in simplicity and sincerity to learn what God has said.
Certainly the prophetic books, mainly written in high wrought Hebrew poetry and revealing things to come, are in some respects more obscure than the simply historical parts of the Bible: yet the plain humble man, who places God on the throne of his heart; who regards every word he has revealed as precious; who keeps in view the fact that an unchanging God regards both sin and humble faith now, just as he did in the days of the prophets, and that by his prophets he has revealed his will for all periods of time—such a man will find the prophetic books a most interesting and instructive portion of the sacred oracles. Prayerful attention and a docile, childlike spirit insure success in exploring these mines of heavenly wisdom.
It should be observed that a prophecy may contain phrases or allusions not fully understood, and yet the main drift and aim be clear. This is doubtless true of thousands of passages. A divine richness and power seals the palpable instruction upon the heart, while yet there remain hidden treasures richly to reward further investigation.
There is also incalculable benefit in searching into the times and circumstances in which a prophecy was written, the occasion which called it forth; and in receiving every word as from God, worthy of God, and certainly in harmony with all else he has revealed.
Take for example, as one of a thousand illustrations equally pertinent, the different impressions which might be received from the words of Amos: "I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was a herdman and a gatherer of sycamore fruit." Amos vii, 14. The careless reader might think the prophet here made only a useless reference to himself. But look at the words in their connection.
Amos prophesied, as we are told in chap. i, 1, "in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel," that is, of Jeroboam the second, who reigned over the ten tribes 150 years after Jeroboam the son of Nebat. Through the whole of this period, not146withstanding the most terrific divine warnings, the people were still worshiping the golden calves at Bethel, and were persisting in shameless and God-provoking idolatry. Amos is commissioned to proclaim from Jehovah this message: "The sanctuaries of Israel shall be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword." Jeroboam, and Amaziah his idolatrous priest, resist Amos, and tell him to shut up his mouth and leave the country: who was Amos, that he should be prophesying and disturbing "the king's chapel, and the king's court?"
"Then answered Amos, and said to Amaziah, I was no prophet, neither was I a prophet's son; but I was a herdman, and a gatherer of sycamore fruit, [I was a plain man pursuing my own business like other men, with no intention of prophesying,] and the Lord [Jehovah] took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel. 'Now, therefore, hear thou the word of the Lord: Thou sayest, prophesy not against Israel, and drop not thy word against the house of Isaac. Therefore thus saith the Lord, Thy wife shall be a harlot in the city, and thy sons and thy daughters shall fall by the sword, and thy land shall be divided by line, [to its enemies,] and thou shalt die in a polluted land: and Israel shall surely go into captivity forth of this land.' As if he had said. This is what God commanded me to proclaim. He commanded me, and I obey; and every word God has thus bid me utter, he will fulfill in all its terror, however you may regard or disregard it.
The words first quoted, thus taken in their connection are as beautiful as they are full of import: and the message that follows them has in it a terrific majesty.
Now let not us, or our readers, treat prophecy as Jeroboam did, either with rejection or neglect, as if it were of no consequence and did not concern us. What God speaks by his prophets he speaks to us, and to all men. He hates idolatry, licentiousness, and sin now, just as he did when Amos wrote, and he looks at the heart. If I make "gold my hope," or pleasure, or honor, or any thing that displaces God in my affections, I expose myself to a doom no less dreadful than that which fell on Jeroboam.
The Old Testament prophets reveal the substance of the gospel as really as the New Testament. It is in them that we read: "The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint." "He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities." "Look unto me and be saved, all ye ends of the earth." "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters." As often as the prophets denounce wrath on the ungodly, so often do they proclaim mercy to all who turn to God and trust in him. Their pages are filled with the latter-day glory of the church, and the triumphs of the Redeemer's reign.
If we have not been enriched from their inexhaustible mines the fault is not in God, nor in the prophets who wrote as inspired by him; and if in this respect we have neglected our own mercies, let us resolve in the strength of God, that this sin of omission shall rest upon us no more, that we will approach the table God has here spread for us, that we may eat and live.—Am. Messenger.
THE HARVEST, THE END OF THE WORLD.
AN OLD HYMN.
The fields are all white, the harvest is near,
The angels all with their sharp sickles appear,
To reap down the wheat and gather it in barns,
While the wild plants of nature are left for to burn.
Come then, O my soul, meditate on that day,
When all things in nature shall cease and decay;
When the trumpet shall sound, the angels appear,
To reap down the earth both the wheat and the tare.
But hear the sad cry ascend to the sky,
Of those in distress that have no where to fly;
They'll call for the rocks and mountains to fall,
On their wretched souls for to hide them withal.
Then O wretched sinners, look up and espy
The glorious Redeemer in his march down the sky,
In a chariot of fire to the earth he is bound,
With a guard of bright angels attending him down.
Come hither, ye nations, your sentence receive,
No longer my Spirit shall strive and be grieved;
My sentence is right, my judgment is just,
Come hither ye blest, but depart all ye cursed.
O sinners, take warning and seek ye the Lord,
I have not been jesting, 'tis Jesus' own word,
That those who believe in glory shall stand,
While all unbelievers are sure to be damned.
Now farewell, I leave you to ponder your way,
May the Lord seal instruction from what I now say:
That our souls to God's throne may be poured out in prayer,
That we may be prepared to meet Christ in the air.
No Weekly Sabbath but the Seventh day, taught in the Bible.
Bro. I. N. Pike writes from Jamaica, Vt.: "I had no desire to meddle with the doctrine of Adventists, and cared but little about a Sabbath any way, until Bro. Bates lectured in this place, when I was led to think that possibly the mystery that had long hung over the day to be observed as a Sabbath, might be removed. I determined, more from curiosity than any particular regard to duty, to know what the Bible taught concerning these things. I therefore commenced and read it through by course, but found nothing to favor the keeping of the first day of the week, but was led to view it important to keep some day. So I turned back and read again, and so the third time not omitting the Apocrypha, after which I became satisfied, and resolved to keep the true Sabbath of the Lord. I have made that the day of rest for more than a year and a half, and feel to praise God that he has shown me the truth."
The Lord's Goodness.
By L. D. Ayres
BRO. SMITH: The Lord is still merciful; and when I consider his forbearance, and reflect on my past life, the mercy and goodness, the faithfulness and care of my Redeemer is so conspicuous at every step of my journey, that I am surprised that I ever should have yielded to distrust or unbelief. Bless the Lord for such a Friend, such a Saviour! What perfection, what quality that is lovely, that is profitable for us, that is adapted to the wants of poor sinners. Do we not find in our Captain, "Yea, he is altogether lovely, the chiefest among ten thousand." May we all be led on to victory.
L. D. AYRES.
Fulton Center, Ills., Feb. 18th, 1857.
Experience of Bro. Litchfield.
By Daniel Litchfield
BRO. SMITH: I take my pen to address a few lines to you. Although an entire stranger personally, yet I trust not in the Spirit; for while I have the privilege of reading the paper, I find many of the precious truths contained in the word of the Lord by which we are begotten, prior to the new birth, sown in my heart, which I perceive from your pen is sown in yours. Therefore I would say in the language of Paul, that we are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.
I would say that I received with joy the first and second angels' messages as proclaimed by Bro. Miller and others in the judgment-hour cry; and the fall of Babylon, in its application to the Protestant sects, which I never have seen cause to doubt its being the fulfillment of that portion of prophecy contained in Rev. xiv, 6-8. But to my sorrow, by not being as watchful, and as prayerful, and as humble as I should, that when the voice of the Lord was heard in the Third Angel's Message, I was not in a suitable condition to receive it. And if God had not been of greater mercy and of longer suffering than man, I should have been left to utter despair. But thanks, praise and glory be to that God who first forgave my sins, about one year ago he showed me that in order for the chain of this prophecy to be complete there must be another angel to follow before the Son of man should be seen on the white cloud. And when I saw the light on the Sanctuary and the position of our great High Priest since the ending of the 2300 days, and the perpetuity of God's law, that the fourth commandment was as much binding as the other nine; and when I received the truth into my heart by faith, and practiced them in my life, I could somewhat say in the language of Peter, when he whom he had previously thought was to redeem Israel, but when he was put to death he lost that hope, but when he came up from the grave he could say, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” So say I, as regards my Advent faith and hope.
I visited Springfield, Vt., a short time since, on my return from the New England Conference, held at Boston, and had one meeting in the place, at which quite a number were present, although the going and weather were very bad. Seven spoke in the meeting, all manifested an inclination to examine the subject of the Sabbath, but one, he a Methodist minister; but was rebuked by an infidel, who spoke out while the minister was talking, and said, “Had we not ought to keep the day which God says is the Sabbath.” This stirred the dragon’s ire, nevertheless truth triumphed.
I attended, in company with other brethren from this State, the conference at Boston, also a meeting at Lancaster, Mass., also the conference at Washington, N. H.
At all these meetings God’s presence was sensibly manifest; also at Claremont, where it is evident that God has some jewels, although there are but one or two Sabbath-keepers in the place; yet there are others who are sighing and crying for the abominations done in the land, and are willing to hear on present truth. May God in mercy hedge up the way of blind guides, and send his present, saving truth to his people, is my prayer.
DANIEL LITCHFIELD.
South Troy, Vt.
The Trinity.
By J. B. F.
The following articles are taken from the Discipline of the M. E. Church:
"Art. 1. There is but one living and true God, everlasting, without body or parts, of infinite power, wisdom, and goodness: the maker and preserver of all things, visible and invisible. And in unity of this Godhead, there are three persons of one substance, power, and eternity;—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost."
Query. How many personal Gods of one substance does it take, including the person of Christ, to make one God without body or parts? Ans. Three.
"Art. 2. The Son, who is the Word of the Father, the very and eternal God, of one substance with the Father, took man's nature in the womb of the blessed virgin; so that two whole and perfect natures, that is to say, the Godhead and manhood, were joined together in one person, never to be divided, whereof is one Christ, very God and very man, who truly suffered, was crucified, dead and buried, to reconcile his Father to us, and to be a sacrifice, not only for original guilt, but also for actual sins of men."
Query. As the Godhead and manhood were joined together in one person before Christ was born, never to be divided, were they divided in the death of Christ on the cross?
"Art. 4. The Holy Ghost, proceeding from the Father and the Son, is of one substance, majesty and glory, with the Father and the Son, very and eternal God."
Query. How can the Holy Ghost proceed from the Father and the Son, if it is both the Father and the Son of itself?
If it be said that the Spirit of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost is one Spirit, with this we all agree. But if it be said that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are three persons in one person, making in all one God without body or parts, with an idea so inconsistent we cannot agree.
The oneness of Christ with the Father may be plainly seen by any one who will refer to John xvii, 22. "That they (that believe) may be one, even as we are one." Who could believe that Christ prayed that his disciples should be one disciple? Yet this would be no more inconsistent than the idea of some that Christ and his Father are one person.
In accordance with the doctrine that three very and eternal Gods are but one God, how may we reconcile Matt. iii, 16, 17. Jesus was baptized, Spirit of God descended like a dove, and the Father's voice heard from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, &c. The Father in heaven, the Son on earth, the Spirit of God descending from one to the other. Who could ever suppose for a moment that these three were one person without body or parts, unless it was by early training. See other texts which appear equally absurd, if such doctrine be true. Matt. xxviii, 18; Acts x, 38. "How God anointed Jesus with the Holy Ghost," &c. First person takes the third person and anoints the second person with a person being at the same time one with himself.
"That three are one, and one are three,
Is an idea that puzzles me;
By many a learned sage 'tis said
That three are one in the Godhead.
"The Father then may be the Son,
For both together make but one;
The Son may likewise be the Father,
Without the smallest change of either.
"Yea, and the blessed Spirit be
The Father, Son and trinity;
This is the creed of Christian folks,
Who style themselves true orthodox,
All which against plain common sense,
We must believe or give offense." J. B. F.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND BAD MEN, WITH RESPECT TO THIS LIFE.
I see the wicked have their heaven here, and their hell hereafter: and on the contrary, good men have their hell here, and147their heaven hereafter. Dives had his good things in this life, and Lazarus evil; there Lazarus is comforted, and Dives is tormented. I will not therefore envy the prosperity of the wicked, nor be offended at the affliction of the righteous, seeing the one is drawn in pomp to hell, while the other swims in tears to heaven.
SELECTIONS.
No Bible at the Capitol of Missouri.—The St. Louis Democrat contains the following. The state of affairs at the Capitol of Missouri seems to be as singular and extraordinary as it is deplorable:
"The city papers would probably have published Governor Polk's inaugural address yesterday morning, but for the delay of ceremonies, the cause of which we have hesitation in making known to our readers.
"The cause reported is, that the inaugural ceremonies were delayed at least half an hour in hunting up a copy of the Holy Bible, upon which to administer the gubernatorial oath. It is further added that, after an unsuccessful search for some minutes, it was thought by many that the inaugural would have to be postponed until a copy of the book could be obtained from St. Louis; but this proposal met with the most determined and malignant opposition from Gov. Price. Happily, at this critical juncture, a Bible was handed in from the Penitentiary, and the oath was then duly administered."
A Christian’s Choice
A CHRISTIAN'S CHOICE.—I am frail, and the world is fading. If I place my affections on earthly enjoyments, either they may take wings like an eagle that flieth towards heaven, or my soul may take its way with the rich fool, and go to hell; but if I choose God for a portion, then mercy and goodness shall follow me whilst I live, and glory and eternity, shall crown me when I die. I will therefore now leave that which I shall soon lose, that so I may embrace that which I shall always enjoy.
CAN'T AFFORD IT
"Come in, Joe, and let's take a drink."
"Thank ye, Thomas, can't afford it."
"Well, but I'll pay for it."
"O, I'm not speaking of the money."
"What then?"
"Loss of health and energy, moral principle, character, peace of mind, self-respect, and a sweet breath."
The Pearl of Great Price
“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant-man seeking goodly pearls; who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it.” Matt. xiii, 45, 46.
Blessed are they to whom the gospel has made known the unsearchable riches of Christ. He is that one pearl of great price, in comparison with whom all other goodly things that men desire are worthless. Without him we are poor and miserable, though we abound in all manner of worldly store; but if we have found him, and discovered the excellency of his name, we are in possession of a treasure that makes us rich indeed, and have reason to be content with our portion, though stripped of every earthly comfort; for the Father gives grace and glory, even eternal life, in his Son Jesus Christ; and he that hath the Son of God hath life. O, my soul, thou, like the merchant-man, hast been seeking goodly pearls, and eagerly looking here and there for happiness all thy days. Hast thou at length been enlightened to perceive where true joys are to be found? Then wilt thou be willing to sell all in order to win Christ, and be found in him; if there is any thing that thou art unwilling to part with for his sake, thou knowest not his value, thou art not worthy of him.
Long did my soul in Jesus’ form
No comeliness or beauty see;
His sacred name, by others prized,
Was tasteless still, and dead to me.
Thanks to the Author of all grace,
That showed me wretched, naked, poor,
That sweetly led me to the Rock
Where all salvation stands secure.
Glad I forsook my righteous pride,
My moral, tarnished, sinful dress;
Exchanged my dross away for Christ,
And found the robe of righteousness.
The Idle Christian.
MANY a person thinks himself a pretty good Christian because he cannot, as he supposes, be charged with doing anything inconsistent with his profession. He is guilty of no immorality, and is attentive to the means of grace. These are good things, and all that can be said against them is, that they do not go far enough. The command is, to work in the Lord’s vineyard; and this man does not work. In order to enable him to judge himself truly, let us see what is implied in not working as a Christian.
To be idle is to be—not like Christ. "Wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business?"
To be idle is to neglect to glorify God. "In this is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit."
To be idle is to be false to the church. She needs help; she is entitled to the service of all her sons. "Here am I; send me."
To be idle is to be cruel to dying souls—as cruel as one who would leave a wounded man to perish by the wayside when he might save him. "He which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death."
To be idle shows a lack of love. "For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, that as one died for all, then were all dead."
To be spiritually idle is to be spiritually poor. "The hand of the diligent maketh rich."
To be idle is to hinder a blessing. "Bring all the tithes into the storehouse."
To be idle is to be weak. "But exercise thyself rather unto godliness."
Idleness hinders assurance. "Make your calling and election sure."
Idleness has no promise. "So run that ye may obtain." "Let no man take your crown."
Idleness brings a curse. "Curse ye Meroz; curse bitterly; because they came not up to the help of the Lord against the mighty."
The idle are liable to a disastrous end. "Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness."
Is it true then that the idle Christian does nothing inconsistent with his profession? Is not doing nothing almost as bad a thing as he can do?
"Any want of conformity to the law of God" is sin, as much as a transgression of it.
The Sabbath.
The institution of the Sabbath-day, consecrated as that on which God ceased from all his works, surveyed them, and pronounced all very good, is so well calculated to cherish the spiritual and contemplative life, so beautifully suited to invite the spirit of devotion from the depth of the soul, to rejoice in the light of God's countenance periodically, that no other ordinance can be conceived, at once more congenial to all those thoughts and feelings by which self-improvement proceeds onward.
Volumes could not contain an account of all the advantages that result to the soul from the institution of the Sabbath. It was truly made for man. Even those who, instead of welcoming it, do all but curse the anticipation of the hallowed morn, are greatly benefited by it when it comes. It does good to all. It brings, as it were, the breath of God even to the nostrils of the most wicked. It is a sore trial to the worldling. He can scarcely defend himself against its influence but by cursing it. And many yield to its blessed influences, and are brought to God by it. And those who go the other way, if they confess all before they die, generally confess this—that the neglect and violation of the Sabbath, was the beginning of their strength in crime.
Spiritual Joy and Sorrow
SPIRITUAL JOY AND SORROW.—As there is a sad mirth, so there is a joyful mourning; look upon the voluptuous man; however laughter may appear in his face, yet sadness ever centres in his heart: his carnal delights are not only vain, but vexing. Whilst the banquet lasts, the sensualist sings, but when the reckoning comes, his spirits sink, his burning candle presently goes out in a snuff, his shining sun instantly sets in a watery cloud. Solomon gives us the sum of it thus: Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful, and the end of that mirth is heaviness.
But now come to the penitential person: as his tears are the joy of angels, so they are the joy of his heart, and the solace of his soul: the salter his tears, the sweeter his comforts; the deeper his sighs, the fuller his joy: the beams of consolation always shine into this house of mourning, so that his soul is in travail with a Barnabas, and his labors bring forth the fruits of peace: insomuch, that I may truly say, “To mourn for sin, is to weep for joy.” These pure and pleasant streams of consolation, that flow and run in those crystal rivers of eternal pleasures, at God’s right hand, come from a weeping spring. Why then is the mouth of wickedness opened against the way of holiness? As if grace were the Calvary to intomb joys; and impiety the very womb to bring forth felicity: but if experience may be heard, my soul hath felt both, and I find such damps of spirit in worldly pleasures, and refreshing of soul in the depth of godly sorrow, that I shall esteem one drop of such spiritual joy, better than an ocean of their carnal mirth.
Too Much for Him.
While a parson was standing at his door smoking his pipe, in a country village, he was accosted by a poor laboring man. The parson told him he made it a rule not to encourage idleness; but if the man would get into his garden and root out the weeds, he would pay him for it. “That’s all I wish,” said the poor fellow. “Well, then, come along with me, and I’ll show you what’s to be done.” When they were in, the Rev. gentleman agreed to give the man a shilling for his trouble: however, after the job was done, he thought that sixpence had been enough for the time the laborer had been employed. The poor man being half-starved and wishing to get himself some bread, finding the other would give him no more, agreed to take the sixpence on condition the Rev. gentleman would teach him the Lord’s prayer, which he agreed to do, beginning, “Our Father”—“What,” said the laborer, “both our fathers?” “Yes, yes; come, say after me”—“Our Father”—when he again asked—“What, your Father and mine too?” “To be sure,” replied the parson. “Well, then,” said the laborer, “you must be a rogue to cheat your brother out of a sixpence.”
Receipt for Making Friendship.
In Pliny’s Natural History we find a very curious receipt for making Roman friendship, the principal ingredients of which were union of hearts, a flower that grew in several parts of the empire—sincerity, frankness, disinterestedness, pity, and tenderness, of each an equal quantity.
These were all made up together, with two rich oils, which they called perpetual kind wishes, and serenity of temper, and the whole was strongly perfumed with the desire of pleasing, which gave it a most grateful smell, and was a sure restorative against vapors of all sorts.
The cordial, thus prepared, was of so durable a nature, that no length of time could waste it; but what is more remarkable, says our author, it increased in its weight and value the longer you kept it.
Every Thing Has a Last Day
By Montgomery
To every thing beneath the sun there is a last day. Let the sanguine, then, take warning, and the disheartened take courage; for to every joy and to every sorrow, to every hope and every fear, there will come a last day; and man ought so to live by foresight, that while he learns in every state to be content, he shall in each be prepared for another, whatever that other may be. When we see an acorn, we expect that it will produce an oak; when we plant a vine we calculate upon gathering grapes; but when we lay a plan for years to come, we may wish, and we can do no more, except pray, that it may be accomplished, for we know not what to-morrow may bring forth. All that we do know beforehand of anything is, that to every thing beneath the sun there comes a last day.—Montgomery.
Comfort in Darkness
The righteous man has a strong tower that the sinner lacks. He is fit to battle with solitude and fearful darkness; an unseen light shines in upon his soul—an unseen hand sustains him. The darkness is no darkness to him, for the Sun of Righteousness is nigh. In the deep solitude he is not alone, for good angels whisper by his side. “Yea, though he walk through the valley of the shadow of death, yet shall he fear no evil, for God is with him; his rod and his staff they comfort him.” The wicked have not this comfort: to them darkness and solitude must be too horrible. Satan, not God, is their companion. The ghosts of their past crimes rise and swell the present horror. Remorse and despair are added to the double gloom of solitude and darkness.
Church.
Some go to church just for a walk,
Some go there to laugh and talk,
Some go there the time to spend,
Some go there to meet a friend,
Some go to learn the parson's name,
Some go there to wound his fame,
Some go there for speculation,
Some go there for observation,
Some go there to doze and nod,
But few go there to worship God.
Good Stronger Than Evil
Good is stronger than evil. A single really good man in an ill place is like a little yeast in a gallon of dough: it can leaven the mass.
Counsels, Comforts, and Cautions.
BEWARE of talkative professors; they are generally dangerous characters: wise Christians are "swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath."
Take every doctrine you hear to the word of God; receive nothing without trial: "Prove all things."
Private prayer is your chief preservative from sin, temptation, and error.
You are always welcome to call upon God: over the throne of grace is written, "Behold, now is the accepted time."